Housekeeping Manager

Lotte Hotels Americas; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

LOTTE New York Palace is seeking an experienced Housekeeping Manager to lead a unionized team of over 25 staff across guest rooms and public areas in a luxury hotel. You will plan staffing, monitor productivity, and ensure adherence to brand standards and safety protocols.

Responsibilities include scheduling, huddles, compliance with the CBA and OSHA/EPA regulations, and close collaboration with Front Office/Engineering to maximize guest satisfaction and room readiness.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years progressive housekeeping leadership experience in an upper - upscale or luxury hotel; union environment experience strongly preferred.
• Proven success managing 25+ staff and multiple shifts; adept at scheduling and labor control in a CBA framework.
• Working knowledge of PMS and housekeeping applications (Opera Cloud, HotSOS) and MS Office.
• Strong coaching, communication, and conflict-resolution skills; able to build trust with union representatives and management alike.
• Flexible schedule, able to work mornings, nights, holidays and weekends when needed.
• Hospitality degree or equivalent experience, preferred
• Bilingual (English/Spanish or other) helpful.

Responsibilities

• Plan and direct all housekeeping functions for guest rooms, corridors, public areas, back of house, and linen/uniform operations.
• Develop and publish daily and weekly schedules, bid and rotation assignments, and OT approvals in accordance with the CBA.
• Conduct opening, mid-shift, and closing huddles; issue and track keys, radios, carts, PPE; reconcile logs at shift end.
• Establish and audit cleanliness standards and room inspection protocols; drive first-time-right results.
• Ensure adherence to CBA provisions and safety regulations (OSHA/EPA) and maintain asset security.
• Partner with Front Office to align room status; respond to guest requests and service recoveries with urgency.

Skills

Leadership

Staff management

Scheduling

Coaching

Communication

Conflict resolution

Education

Hospitality degree

Tools

Opera Cloud

HotSOS

MS Office

Job description

• The Housekeeping Manager leads the unionized housekeeping operation to deliver consistently pristine rooms and public spaces at an upper - upscale standard. This role oversees daily staffing for 30 team members across a 191 - room hotel, ensures compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), partners closely with Front Office/Engineering, and drives guest satisfaction, cleanliness scores, and productivity while maintaining a safe, respectful workplace.
• Responsibilities to include some and/or all the following:

Operational Leadership

• Plan and direct all housekeeping functions for guest rooms, corridors, public areas, back of house, and linen/uniform operations; set daily priorities aligned to occupancy, VIP movement, group blocks, and turnaround needs.
• Develop and publish daily and weekly schedules, bid and rotation assignments, and overtime (OT) approvals in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA); monitor staffing levels and adjust to business demand while controlling labor.
• Conduct opening, mid-shift, and closing huddles; ensure keys, radios, carts, chemicals, and personal protective equipment (PPE) are issued, tracked, and returned; reconcile floor logs and reports at end of shift.

Quality & Compliance

• Establish and audit brand cleanliness standards and room inspection protocols; perform spot checks on stayovers, checkouts, VIP rooms, and public areas; drive first-time-right results.
• Ensure adherence to Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions such as seniority, call-in and call-back, job classifications, grievance procedures, progressive discipline, and meal and rest periods.
• Maintain strict compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and hotel safety programs: chemical handling (Safety Data Sheets or SDS), bloodborne pathogens and Lost and Found (L&F), ergonomic practices, and incident reporting.
• Uphold key control, Lost and Found (L&F), and asset security, audit storage rooms, PARs, and equipment conditions.

Guest Experience & Coordination

• Partner with Front Office to align room status (vacant and clean, out of order, out of service, early arrivals, late checkouts, room moves); resolve discrepancies in Property Management System (PMS) and dispatch systems in real time.
• Respond to guest requests, service recovery, and cleanliness concerns with urgency and empathy; document cases and follow through to resolution.
• Coordinate with Engineering on preventive maintenance and corrective work orders; prioritize rooms to return to inventory quickly.

People Management & Culture

• Lead a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace, model the hotel’s service culture and values.
• Train, coach, and evaluate supervisors and hourly team members; provide skills training (room cleaning sequence, chemical use, time standards), cross training, and certification.
• Manage attendance, performance expectations, and corrective action consistent with the CBA; support union management relations and participate in grievance meetings when required.
• Recognize achievements and celebrate wins; solicit feedback and continuous improvement ideas from the team.
• Forecast, order, and control linen, terry, amenities, guest supplies, uniforms, and cleaning chemicals; maintain pars and storage organization.
• Track labor, productivity (minutes per room), and cost per occupied room (CPOR); analyze variances and implement action plans.
• Champion sustainability initiatives - waste reduction, responsible chemical usage, water/energy conservation and support brand/municipal programs.

Systems & Reporting

• Utilize PMS/Housekeeping systems (e.g., Opera Cloud, HotSOS) for dispatch, room status, inspections, and work orders; ensure data accuracy and timely updates.
• Produce daily reports: room status summary, out-of-order tracking, VIP readiness, staffing roster, inspection results, Lost and Found (L&F) log, injury and incident log, and supply consumption.
• Prepare weekly and monthly performance dashboards: cleanliness scores, guest survey results (Medallia), minutes per room, cost per occupied room (CPOR), inventory variances, and quality assurance (QA) readiness.
• File all daily reports in the file cabinet.
• Complete any other assigned tasks or projects by the Assistant General Manager.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Guest cleanliness score (brand metric or TravelClick)
• Minutes per room and labor cost versus budget
• Room readiness at check-in (vacant and clean on time, VIP rooms ready)
• Quality assurance (QA) audit compliance and safety incident rate
• Inventory accuracy (linen loss percentage, amenity variance)

Requirements

• 3-5 years progressive housekeeping leadership experience in an upper - upscale or luxury hotel; union environment experience strongly preferred.
• Proven success managing 25+ staff and multiple shifts; adept at scheduling and labor control in a CBA framework.
• Working knowledge of PMS and housekeeping applications (Opera Cloud, HotSOS) and MS Office.
• Strong coaching, communication, and conflict - resolution skills; able to build trust with union representatives and management alike.
• Ability to read and apply brand standards, safety regulations, and hotel policies, high attention to detail and urgency.
• Flexible schedule, able to work mornings, nights, holidays and weekends when needed.
• Hospitality degree or equivalent experience, preferred
• Bilingual (English/Spanish or other) helpful.

LOTTE New York Palace is an Equal Opportunity employer.

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